Ruins of the Proud
by sj372419
Summary: On the last day of 1873, Scarlett is back at Tara, and cannot wait for this terrible year to be over. When she meets the mysterious Mr. Heathcliff, who has bought the ruins of the burned Old Sutton place, Scarlett wonders what demons is he escaping in Clayton County. Can she help him to heal and in the process heal herself?
1. Chapter 1

I will be posting chapters of 1500 words per day as I participate in Camp Nanowrimo for the month of April: Come back and check out the latest chapter in this Gothic/ Romance between two of literatures most fiery, proud and complicated characters.

 **I completed Camp Nanowrimo in APril and completed the 50,000 word story in 30 days. I will be posting as I edit the story, with Nanowrimo there is no time for editing, and after I had a few detox days, I am editing and posting now! ENJOY and REVIEW!**

"Miss Scarlett? Miss Scarlett?" The warmth of the heavy hand on her shoulder broke Scarlett from her daydream, "Yes?"

Mammy's eyes were tight with concern, "What's wrong with you?"

Scarlett's wet eyes looked at her, as she wiped the stray tear, "Nothing, I was just thinking."

"About who?" Mammy wondered what had Scarlett so shaken and quiet the last few days.

"Pa", Scarlett sighed, "Remember when Pa prepared the the pig for the spit, and start drinking on New Years' morning?"

Mammy smiled, "Lawdy, he used to get so loud with those boys out there, while dat pig was roasting."

Scarlett giggled a little, "Tara will never be the same."

"Miss Scarlett, why don't you go for a ride, get out of the house for a little while, just put on a coat."

Scarlett considered this, and then nodded, "I think I will."

As Scarlett marched across the yard with her crop, and her blue riding habit, Will left the men roasting the pig as Scarlett caught his eye. He followed her into the stables with Wade trailing him.

"Scarlett, you going for a ride, it's gettin' late?"

"Just down by the river, I'll be back before dark, Will."

Wade popped his head in the stable, as Scarlett saddled the horse, "Be careful, we saw some huge dogs running around by Twelve Oaks."

"I'm not going to Twelve Oaks, " Scarlett snapped, "Dogs? I'm not worried about a few dogs."

Will lead the mare out in the yard, "The kids were scared, they said they were big as ponies."

Scarlett smirked, "I suppose it was Ella."

Wade spoke up, "No, it was me and the Jackie Fontaine, we were hunting."

"Alright, if it will make you two feel better, I'll keep my eye out. I just need some air."

Will nodded and patted Wade on his shoulder as the say the blue figure against the gray sky, dash down the driveway of Tara. Scarlett meandered around the properties and on to the trail that lead to the Flint River. She passed the orchard, the trees dry and brittle in the winter air, and slowed as the horse came to a stop in the circle of trees. There were rotten apples that crunched under the mare's feet. The circle of trees seemed like long fingers closing in on Scarlett, as her heart started to beat faster, she yelled out, "Hello? Are you there?"

The mare stepped cautiously at the high pitch yell of Scarlett's voice. The wind ruffled the plume in her hat, and her scarf fringe waved tickling her cheek, making Scarlett jump, "I heard you the other day. Say my name again!"

The orchard was silent, except from the heavy footfalls of the mare and a rustle of the leaves. She waited for the voice she had heard during her nap, the other day. Scarlett felt a chill up her spine as another sound pricked her ears. It was footsteps behind her, as she turned the mare around, the sloughing, black face of a dog stood nearly a yard from her boot hooked in the side saddle. Gooseflesh spread up her arms, as she gave the horse a kick and took off toward the River.

It was true, the dog was as large as a pony, and the face was ebony with two beady reddish eyes looking up at her. As she reached the River, she could see the two brutes running through the orchard and following her. Their paws were large and cumbersome flopping as their clumsy gait brought them closer to her and her mare. Scarlett muttered, "Damn," and urged the mare along the River toward the Tarleton's place.

As she approached the driveway of the neighboring property, she noticed the dogs had disappeared. As she placed her gloved hands on her mare's neck and stroked the horse's mane, Scarlett took a deep breath, "That was silly, to let Wade get me so scared of those dogs."

Scarlett clucked her reins and headed back towards Tara, and went the long way around the Tarleton's property admiring how Mrs. Beatrice had rebuilt a sizeable house and stables now that she had started breeding her horses again. The smoke was billowing from the smokehouse, no doubt preparing for their own New Years' feast the next day.

Scarlett smiled, wishing this awful year 1873, would be over in a few hours. She had hoped with the new year, maybe Rhett would stop being so hateful and contact her. Scarlett had showed up at Tara with Wade and Ella in tow the day after Melanie's funeral, and the last two months had been filled with sadness for the deaths of Bonnie and Melanie and anxiety, praying Rhett wouldn't send divorce papers.

Scarlett had planned to leave the children at Tara and track Rhett down, but Mammy had warned, "That man as hard headed as you is, give him some time, he'll be back."

So, Scarlett had listened to Mammy, and stayed at Tara through the holidays, but with no sign from Rhett. She had filled her days with putting her two sense into how Tara was run, spending time alone to grieve for Melanie and Bonnie, and then the dreams started again. The last few weeks, Scarlett had spent the evenings up in her room waiting for daylight to sleep, and would often take off to the orchard to nap in the side house.

But Mammy had noticed, Scarlett had returned from her afternoon ride wide eyed and nervous, and refused to be alone, asking Mammy to sit by her bed, until she fell asleep. Mammy shook her head, thinking even as a child, Scarlett had never made this request.

Scarlett's mind had wondered often, as it did often now, and she found herself on the other side of the Tartleton's place and further away from Tara, then she wanted to be. The Old Sutton place's ruined columns started to darken in late afternoon of the gloomy day. The small overseerer's house sat on the edge of the property untouched in the dark red brick and the white shudders glowed in the winter's sky. Scarlett could see smoke coming from the chimney, and found it starnge that any body would be there.

The Mrs. Sutton's had lost her husband and son in the war, and Mrs. Sutton and moved with her youngest daughter to Alabama with relatives months before Sherman had burned down the main house. The yankee overseer had saved his tiny house from the yankees where he lived until they found him dead in his bed a few weeks after the war was over. He had been a rotound man, and Dr. Fontaine said it was a case of drunkenness and overeating food he had stole from his neighbors. Still, nobody had lived in the little house for years, and now it seemed someone was there.

Scarlett returned to the road and headed back towards Tara, knowing the darkness of the winter's night was coming earlier and earlier since Christmas. As she turned towards the road, a fierce bark, sent chills down Scarlett's back, as the lumbering dog, opened and closed its toothy mouth in a bark which got louder with each step. The mare stomped her feet and pulled her bit to turn away from the brute of a dog, and dashed up the hill towards the Sutton place as Scarlett wobbled side saddle and the reins slided through her hands. As the mare reached the top of the hill near the ruins of the house, the twelve doric columns stood like soldiers, dirty and sooty, with the iron balcony still attached to the sentinels around the empty house.

Scarlett felt the cold yellowing grass under her face, as her chest hit the ground, knocking the wind from her. As she reached to sit up, the first vision in her sight was the mare taking off into the backwoods behind the Sutton place. The black hulking figure, now joined with another lumbered clumsily up the hill towards her, as she fought to stand and catch her breath..

Scarlett scrambled to her feet and grabbed a thick ragged branch from the fallen oak tree. Her boots echoed in her chest as she rushed up the surviving, stone porch steps of the plantation. Scarlett stood five feet above the hill and wielded the branch against the two angry brutes, but her defensive actions caused them to snap and lunge at her boots. Scarlett wished she had her gun, and then glimpsing the smoke from the overseer's house, she started to yell, for help.

It was a tall, muscular man that emerged from the house, in workman clothes, but for a second, she thought it was Rhett. His swarthy skin, and muscular form, but his hair was wild and curly as it blew in the wind, and he stalked over to the scene, and yelled, at her.

"What in the hell are you doing to my dogs!"

Scarlett's face, red and angry, fell as did the heavy oak branch, "Your dogs?"

"Come, here, ladies, Minerva! Clara!", his voice was commanding and strict.

The two dogs, crawled down the steps and sat obediantly at their Master's feet. He coddled the biggest one behind her ear and patted the thinner one on her back, "Get on with you both, let me help this woman who upset you."

Scarlett's eyes cut daggers at this fool man, "Upset them? They tried to attack you me!"

The man offered his hand, as Scarlett's boots clicked on each stone step, "Well, you were trespassing."

"Trespassing? They spooked my horse, my mare she ran off, and dropped me here."

"Well, did you try to hit her, too?"

"No, I was just riding-"

"You were riding your horse on private property and my dogs did their job."

"You are a fool," Scarlett straightened her hat and jerked her hand away, "They were in "my" orchard earlier, and scared my son and the Fontaine children, yesterday."

"Your orchard? Perhaps they were eating all the rotten apples laying around there. And did the children get bitten?"

"No, they ran home, scared half to death, said your dogs were as big as ponies!"

"They are big," smirked the man, "But them, I'm big, too."

Scarlett glared, "Could you kindly get my mare out of your woods?"

The man laughed, "It would be my pleasure to help a trespasser." Yet he didn't move a foot, but walked back to the house.

Scarlett followed behind him, and called, "Sir, sir, you aren't going to help me?"

"No, I'm not your servant. Go get your horse, you have no business riding, if you can't keep track of it."

Scarlett stopped in her tracks and burst into tears, real tears were streaming down her cheeks, and the man stopped and turned to look at the slight figure of the woman as she sobbed and cried, "I need your help, please, sir."

"Ah, madam, that is what I would love to hear, the word please."

The man took her arm and walked her to the warmth of the tiny house, seeing the dogs curled up next to the fire, the tears ceased and anxiety started, "Can they go outside?"

"This is their home and you are a guest, I think not. Sit, I'll get you some hot tea."

It was the first time Scarlett heard the accent in the man's voice, and she smiled.

The man stared at her, "You find something funny?"

"The way you talk, you remind me of my father."

"So, your father was Welsh?"

"Oh, no Irish."

"Quite a difference, but not much, Mrs?"

Scarlett reached her hand out, "Mrs. Butler."

His hand was calloused, but strong and warm through her kid gloves, "Mr. Heathcliff."

Scarlett sat at the table, and took in the tiny one room house. The table was set for dinner, for two, and their was a lovely bread filled with raisins in the middle of the table with a candle in the middle with the letter "H" carved in it.

"Is your wife here?"Scarlett asked gesturing at the table.

"No, she's dead." His voice was icy as he poured a steaming cup of tea.

Scarlett sat quietly as he placed the sugar bowl and cup next to her at the table. There wasn't much in the one room, a large cedar robe, a wooden bed, with a wool blanket, with two huge trunks, and a fireplace with a woven rug in the middle of the room. The table and chairs were mismatched with a dark wood table and round back maple chairs. A hearty fire burned in the fireplace under a single black pot. A green potbellied stove kept the kettle with tea warm.

Mr. Heathcliff cleared his throat, "I'll go get your mare, it's getting dark and late."

Scarlett nodded as she sipped the hot tea, and she noticed the muddy boots he wore, and the muddy footprints throughout the room, he had been working in the mud before she got there. 'It's too early for planting?' thought Scarlett, and she settled in to drink her tea, even though coffee would have been better, he was Welsh, and like the Irish and the English, she knew they liked their tea. The black tea reminded Scarlett when she was sick, and her Pa would warn, 'That tea will make the Irish in you strong, and you can get out of bed soon!'

The heavy door opened with ease in Heathcliff's strong hands, and he stated, wiping his hands, "Your mare is outside."

"Thank you, Mr. Heathcliff."

"No trouble, I just want to get back to my work."

"Are you going to cook?"

He laughed, "No."

Scarlett looked bewildered and eyed the table, not saying a word.

"Mrs. Butler, the table and bread are an old Welsh custom for the New Year. The setting is in case someone I know passes by, and the bread and the candle are for future luck."

Scarlett laughed and waved her hand, "Oh, it's superstition."

"No," Heathcliff stated firmly, and clenched his fists, "It's customs of my country." His face was dark and blank.

Scarlett nodded and went out to her mare, "Thank you again."

Heathcliff nodded and closed the door.

As Scarlett started on the road by the Tarleton's place again, she saw Mrs. Beatrice and waved her over, "Scarlett, it's late to be out."

Scarlett looked overhead, "I have a few more minutes of sunlight. You have a new neighbor?"

Beatrice pursed her lips together, "Yes, strangest man."

"Well, his dogs scared me half to death!"

"He's pretty scary, too." Mrs. Beatrice scawfed.

"Mr. Heathcliff seems like a very moody man, perhaps because his wife is dead."

"Mr. Heathcliff? I guess he told a pretty lady like you his name."

Scarlett blushed, "Not until after he bawled me out about scaring his dogs."

"Did he say when she died?"

"No, why?" Scarlett asked, leading for Beatrice to gossip.

"Well, I graze my horses on our property line, and I saw a fresh grave dug in the Sutton's cemetary."

Scarlett's blood went cold, thinking of his muddy boots and footprints, her eyes dilated.

"Scarlett, are you sick?"

"No, no. Oh, that poor man."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what he paid for that plot of land with ruins on it and a one room house!"

Scarlett wanted to gossip more, but the light was fading, and she could see Mammy with a lantern standing on the porch, so she bid Beatrice good night, and dashed full speed up to Tara. Mammy saw the mare galloping full speed with her rider waving a free hand in the air, and she shook her head, if it wasn't for the blue riding habit and the flaring green feather, Mammy could have sworn it was Mr. Gerald arriving home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the last Review! It has given me inspiration to open this file again!**

 **I have some days off of work, so I am going to update at least 3 chapters in the next few days!**

 **Enjoy, this meeting of Scarlett and Heathcliff...**

Mammy scolded Scarlett as she pranced through the front door, "I tole you to be back befo' dark!"

"I stopped and talked with Mrs. Tarleton, I could see Tara from the fence!"

Mammy humphed as Scarlett passed her and hurried upstairs. Wade was sitting on the steps, as Scarlett passed him. When she got to the top of the stairs, Wade called out, "Mother, did you see the dogs?"

"Yes, they were far away, running along the hills. Mrs. Tartleton said they belong to a new neighbor of hers."

Wade nodded, and closed his book, "When are we going home?"

Scarlett held onto the railing and looked down at him, "Soon,"

"You said after the holidays."

"I know, and that means soon."

"I got a letter from Uncle Rhett, it was at the post office yesterday."

Scarlett was awed, "Wade, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to upset you, Mammy said you are very upset about Aunt Melly and Sissy."

"Never mind Mammy, go get that letter and come to my room!"

Prissy was leaving, and Scarlett had been changed into a fresh dress and wrapped her wool shawl around her arms, and Wade stood tall and gangly in the hallway, and seeing his mother at her vanity he approached the doorway with the cream colored letter in hand.

Wade sat on the rocking chair and opened the letter.

Scarlett reached her hand and snapped her fingers, "I'm capable of reading it."

Wade stood and handed her the letter, and her eyes skimmed the cursive writing under the gaslight. Wade waited, shuffling his feet, when his mother finished she sighed, "Well."

Wade watched her eyes, and saw tears prick the edges, and he held his words.

Scarlett sat up straight, "We can go back to Atlanta for you to start the new term, unless you want to finish out the year here?"

"I want to go back, Mother. I need to finish at a good school to get into Harvard."

Scarlett sighed, the Yankee school was scandalous to her, but she wasn't even listening.

"Wade, we can leave in a week. It seems Uncle Rhett is going to Europe for several months."

"What's wrong, Mother?"

Scarlett looked at her son, who was conceived and born in the same room where he stood, questioning her, and he wanted an answer, she didn't have a good answer. Wade looked at his mother, and knew it wasn't good.

"Wade, your Uncle Rhett hasn't been well since Sissy's accident, and neither have I."

"I know. Sissy dying was the worse accident that could have happened, but she never listened to Uncle Rhett."

Scarlett wanted to slap his face, but what he spoke was the truth, and she just wanted him to leave her alone about Rhett, it was better to not talk about him, life was easier that way.

"We will leave in a week, now let's go down for dinner, and then we have sparklers for later tonight."

Dinner was quiet, Will and Suellen had taken the girls to the Fontaine's for dinner. Scarlett was still in mourning, so it was a good excuse, not to go. Wade and Ella ate in silence, the leftover chicken and rice from the night before, as Mammy said, "Ya'll gonna have more than enough to eat with that roasted pig, black eye peas and cornbread, tomorrow."

Scarlett buttered her second biscuit, and ate it with coffee as she dismissed the children from the table, "As soon as they come home, you can go outside with the sparklers."

Wade went upstairs, but Ella remained stirring her cooked apples in the bowl.

"Ella, either eat it or go."

"I want to sit with you, Mother, and wait for Susie."

"Well, I'm finished, and I'm going to the office, so run along with your brother."

"Wade doesn't want to play with me, he's reading those books again."

"Mammy," Scarlett called.

Mammy appeared at the door wiping her hands, "Yes'm."

"Can you take Miss Ella with you?"

Mammy made a sign for the little girl to follow her, and the child obediently went over to doorway, and whined, "But I told Mother, I wanted to be with her."

"Yo' ma is busy now, c'mon , chile."

Scarlett sat in the quiet dining room, lit with the gaslights, and looked around the table. How she wished Gerald, Ellen, Bonnie and Melanie could be with her in this dining room, and a chill eased up her back, as though someone had joined her. The gaslight chandelier wobbled slowly from the ceiling, and the lights flickered. Scarlett looked around the room, and over her shoulder, as the shadows played on the wall from the moving chandelier, and she whispered, "Hello?"

The silence was deafening, and Scarlett waited to hear her name, but the room seemed smaller and darker. She hurriedly swallowed her coffee and went down the hall to Ellen's office and closed the door. The ledger was open and the sprawling numbers with the year end profits at the store, tangled together in as her drowsy eyes closed.

Boisterous children and heavy footsteps echoed in her ears and woke Scarlett from her desk, as she raised her head from the ledger, blurry eyed and her head swirling, the low, brittle rapping on the door made her jump. Ella's voice squeaked out, "Mother, it's almost time!"

Ella had been the most excited to join in the New Year celebration after hearing Susie and Martha go on and on about the holiday. Ella had always been in bed when the New Year came in as Scarlett and Rhett would go to the obligatory Winter Ball in Atlanta. And the fact that her mother couldn't order her to bed while the rest of the children were awake was liberating to Ella.

Scarlett stood and opened the door, the sound of the rest of the family on the porch beaconed Scarlett to join them. She grabbed her cloak from the peg and headed out to the porch. Wade and Will had the four little girls lined up in the garden holding sparklers and bouncing around, waiting for Will to strike the match to light them. Suellen sat on the porch, in an advanced month of pregnancy and tired. Scarlett slipped into the rocking chair beside her to watch the show.

"It's not even 11:30, but the girls wouldn't stop asking for the sparklers."

"I know Ella, wouldn't stop either. How are the Fontaines?"

"Fine, no surprises in there family. Same old things. Old Miss is sharp as a tack."

"I swear that lady will out live us all!"

Suellen giggled in agreement, and then said, "Scarlett, I don't want to fight."

"We are talking quite pleasantly, Sue."

"But, I have to ask, where's Rhett?"

Scarlett sighed, "He just wrote Wade, he's in Europe."

"Why doesn't he write you?"

"Suellen, you have never lost a child. I told you Rhett hasn't been right since Bonnie-"

"Well, you shouldn't have let him go off, alone."

"Suellen, you said you didn't want to argue, but you are."

Suellen lowered her voice, "It was Old Miss who asked me, and I told her that you hadn't wanted to discuss it. You were in mourning for Melanie and Bonnie, and we didn't want to upset you."

"Rhett is a very stubborn person, and he does as he likes."

Suellen looked at her sister's face, it was cold and blank, and her eyes seemed almost black in the misting evening with no moonlight. Scarlett's voice was monotone and automatic, like she had rehearsed the line, but it wasn't Rhett who made her heart cold, it was Bonnie. Suellen saying her name, and thinking about how Bonnie would had loved to play with the fiery, beautiful sparklers, it started to break Scarlett's heart.

The squeals of the girls as Mammy, Prissy and Pork brought around the pots and pans and spoons to beat out the old year, as they started the ruckus, made Scarlett's head start to pound, she excused herself and went inside. She stood in the dark hall and put her cloak on a peg, and went to the office and rummaged through her desk drawer to find her swoon bottle, which had become her nightly bottle.

The office door was open, and the gaslight glowed casting dancing shadows into the dark hallway, the house was silent except for the muffled noise of squeals, and clapping of pots and pans from the porch. Scarlett sat on the cushioned settee as the liquor warmed the chill in her spine that made the hairs on her arms stand. Scarlett began to pray for Bonnie and Melanie, as tears pricked her eyes. The sounds and cheers got louder, and the carriage clock on the mantel chimed midnight. Scarlett raised her glass to the heavens, "Cheers, Pa."

She smiled through the tears as she tossed back the last of the golden liquid in her glass. Scarlett closed her eyes, hoping that 1874 would be better, it was then that the door creaked a slow high pitch sound that quickly turned into a slam. The walls shook behind Scarlett's head, as she opened her eyes, and scurried to her feet, she was faced with a closed door.

Scarlett rushed to pull it open, staring out into the darkened hallway, as a heavy, cold air hit her face and her warmed breath came out in puffs of smoke, she called out, "Wade, Ella!"

There was silence and darkness, as she shuffled her way to the front door and opening it to fell the damp air fill her lungs and the entire household making a parade as Suellen, Will and Wade clapped and sang with the girls and the servants. Scarlett looked over her shoulder, slowly looking down the chilled dark hallway, there was only the warm glow from the office which made shadows on the walls. The warm glow was comforting, and just as Scarlett let out her held breath the door of the office creaked full open and thenm slammed once more, with a loud crack.

Scarlett's body jerked as the shadows on the wall seem to rush down the hall,, as her heart gripped with fear stopped for a second, and she fumbled with the door knob and ran onto the porch. It was Ella's shrieking voice that was comforting piping out, "Mother, It's a New Year!"

Scarlett's eyes were frantic as she looked at her daughter, and waved with a brittle smile on her face. Wade stopped clapping and went over to his mother, and put his hand on her arm.

"Mother, you're shaking."

Scarlett didn't say a word.

"You want to go back in the house, you need your shawl," Wade's voice seemed so far away, all Scarlett could do was look into his soft, brown eyes, as her own eyes filled with tears.

Mammy came over and dismissed Wade, and took Scarlett's arm, "C'mon my lamb, I'll get you to bed."

Scarlett pulled her arm from Mammy, "No, someone's in there."

Mammy's eyes got big, "What do you mean?"

"I heard someone in the house."

"Nobody there, we all out here. You been drinking?" Mammy whispered feeling the Scarlett's warm and pungent breath in her face.

Scarlett blushed.

"C'mon, I'll put you to bed, and I'll stay with you."

Scarlett clung to Mammy as the old woman guided her upstairs with a gaslight.

Scarlett insisted the lights in her room burn bright after she was covered in the bed, her pale face held her eyes that were big and round, pleading the room be full of light.

Mammy sat in the rocking chair, as Scarlett laid wide awake in the bed. Mammy started to hum, and old lullaby from Scarlett's infancy, and Scarlett started to hum along.

Scarlett jumped with a knock on the door and Wade poked his head in looking at Mammy.

"How's Mother?"

"I'm fine, you can go to bed."

Wade nodded to his mother, and closed the door.

Scarlett snuggled down under the blankets, and sighed, "Mammy, can you stay here with me?"

"Miz Scarlett, nobody in this house. I can ask Mr. Will to check."

"No, I don't think Will is going to find anybody."

"What got you spooked so bad?"

"I don't know, Mammy. I miss Bonnie and Melanie so much, and Rhett."

"You gotta have patience, Mr. Rhett ain't gonna be bossed by you."

"It's more than Rhett just walking out, I need him around."

"You been so strong, Miz Scarlett, you gotta keep being strong."

Scarlett kept the details of the orchard and the office to herself, knowing how superstitious Mammy was, she didn't want to spook the old woman more than she was. Scarlett knew there was an explanation for the door closing, it could have been one of the children or one of the dogs after all her eyes were closed when it happened, and she had been outside the second time.

Scarlett was quiet, and then sleep overtook her eyes, and she yawned, "Good night, Mammy."

Scarlett felt her body drifting into the softness of the familiar pillows and blankets, and soon it was as if her eyes opened into a dream, but it wasn't the mists, it was a field of cotton with fresh green sprigs and the sun warmed her face. Scarlett was not in a heavy woolen clothes of winter, but a light cotton blue calico dress, and her hair hung in curls around her shoulders with a crown of daisies on her head. Yes! She remembered this day, it was a spring day before she had made sixteen, it was her fifteenth birthday. They had lemonade and fried chicken down by the creek, and she had road the trails by the river with her Pa to show off her new chestnut mare. Suellen had sulked, but Pa had promised she would get a new mare in the summer for her birthday, and Careen was so excited that Scarlett had offered her a ride on her mare later in the day. Ellen had sat on the blankets they had spread out and read a book, as the younger girls played in the creek and Scarlett rode with her Pa.

As soon as they were out of earshot from Ellen, Scarlett had challenged her Pa to a race, and reaching the fence and jumping first, Scarlett was declared the winner.

Gerald had beamed with pride, "My girl, you have the spirit of the Irish!"

"Pa, I'm French, too."

"I know, but your Irish blood is stronger, that's why you are my girl. Your mother can have the other two, so quiet and proper."

"Suellen? Quiet?"

"Oh, I know you fight, but she hides it better than you from your Mother, and she isn't really like that, she wants to compete with you, but she can't." Gerald reached over and kissed Scarlett on her cheek.

As Scarlett circled the River and started back to the picnic, her father galloped away from her and disappeared as the sudden mists that bellowed over the river banks, she called frantically, "Pa!"

He was gone, but a voice was behind her, and it was strong with a brogue, "Mrs. Butler."

As she turned the strong, swarthy Mr. Heathcliff stood at the cypress tree along the banks with mist covering his legs, as though he floated in the mist, and her dress was now heavy and dark mourning. "I need to find my Pa."

"He's dead, like all of them."

"All of them?"

Heathcliff pointed to the river, and the bodies dressed in bright colors of blue, lavendar, white linen and gray glided by in the water bloated, stiff and decaying. Her darling Bonnie's eyes open and curls spread in the water with her red plume stuck in the curls, and Melanie closed eyes and small hands crossed on her stomach floated two small bundles floating hear her, a pink and a blue. Scarlett's throat clenched as she screeched out, "My baby!"

More of the dead floated by, the soldier she shot, men who died in the hospital, and then her Pa, still holding his riding crop, Ellen draped in her black shroud, and Frank with the burned bullet stuck in his forehead, Scarlett raised her crop to race off, like she did in these misty dream, but a strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her from the horse, "Let me go!"

She was looking into Mr. Heathcliff's black eyes, without pupils except a flicker of a red flame, almost like the dog's eyes, and he laughed, "Join them."

And she felt her body flung into a cold air landing in the wet water, and hot water pouring down her face, as she screamed, "Let me go! NO!"

Scarlett fought to open her eyes, and Mammy's face glowed in the gaslighted room, as she whispered, "Wake up, I'm here, lamb."

Scarlett gasped a breath and wiped her forehead clammy and wet with sweat.

"You is having a bad dream. Who you dream about?"

"I-I don't know," Scarlett lied.

"Miss Bonnie? You were screaming about your baby."

"I was, I don't know now that I'm awake, Mammy."

Scarlett sat up and threw the heavy covers off, and sat in the rocking chair, "Mammy, go to bed. I'm going to sit up for a little while."

"And go to sleep when the sun comes up?"

"Maybe, when I get tired, now go on to bed. You been cooking all day."

Mammy gave Scarlett a sharp look, but left. Scarlett rocked in the chair and thought, about the diabolical eyes and chilling smile on Mr. Heathcliff's face made her wonder about the strange man in the old house, he seemed to be more like an animal than a man, like he was an extension of his vicious badly behaved dogs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews, i got the first draft down, and now this is pushing me to edit it!**

 **Sorry, it took longer than I liked, but I had to search for this file, somehow I backed it up on another flash drive, so here it is, I should have another one up by Saturday!**

The sun crept through the lace curtains, and made a streak on the floor cascading over Scarlett's exposed toes. The warmth of the morning sun stirred her awake from the rocking chair, where she had sat wide eyed as long as she could fearful of sleep and her nightmares. The gentle knock on the door, didn't belong to Prissy, but Scarlett snapped, "What do you want?"

Suellen opened the door and poked her head in, "Scarlett? Did you sleep there all night?"

Scarlett rubbed her eyes standing and dumped the blanket back on the bed, "What do you want?"

Suellen came in and looked her sister in the face, "You look sick, you better get back into bed. I'll send Mammy up with some tea-"

"Is that what you wanted to question my health?"

"No- er-I wanted to know if you wanted to maybe come to church with us?"

"Church?" Scarlett huffed, "Are you and Will taking the girls?"

"Well, Ella wanted to come, too. And I thought I'd ask you."

"What time is it?"

"It's almost seven. Mass starts at St. Paul's at ten."

Scarlett sat on the bed, understanding why she was unable to function, it was just after dawn. She didn't answer her sister, but got under the covers, "Sue, I didn't sleep very well last night. If Ella wants to go take her, but I think I'll spend the morning in bed."

Suellen looked at her sister as her pale arm draped over her eyes, and silently closed the door.

Scarlett had drifted into a heavy sleep, but the sound of the girls laughing and piling into the noisy trap of Will's stirred her sleep as they left. Scarlett glanced at the driveway, and was surprised to see Wade's long legs hanging out the back. Suddenly, Scarlett felt alone, and scared. She wrapped her robe around her and rushed down the stairs to find Mammy and Prissy cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

Mammy gave Scarlett a sharp eye, "Good Morning."

Scarlett stood by the buffet and grabbed three pancakes and the pot of apple butter and sat at the empty space at the table, slathering the pancakes with butter, as Prissy poured her coffee.

"Good Morning, Mammy," Scarlett said, not looking up from her pancakes.

"Miz Scarlett, why you doan wanna go to church wid the family?"

"Mammy, you know I couldn't sleep last night. I was exhausted."

"Maybe if you go to church, you have better sleep."

Scarlett glared at her, "I didn't ask anybody's advice."

"Well, if you doan wanna help yo'self, then don be askin' me to sit up all night. Some of dem prayers would do you good."

"I never was one for prayers, besides I would have to sit with all of Sue's children jumping around, and misbehaving."

"Yo' Ma, she don prayed and prayed all her life, now you give that up?"

"No, I just don't see the purpose or the need!" Scarlett raised her voice and grabbed her cup of coffee and stormed out on the porch, sitting in the rocking chair.

The winter sky was an icy blue gray, and the sun peeked through the clouds warming the yellowing grass. Prissy stood in the doorway, "Miz Scarlett, you ain't dressed. Come in and I'll-"

"Fiddle dee dee! Nobody's coming here this morning, leave me alone!"

Prissy sensed her foul mood, and sulked back in the house , leaving the door open for the cool breeze to refresh the house. Scarlett rocked on the chair and folded her bare feet under her robe watching the road, careful nobody would come by and see her undressed.

Scarlett's mind drifted back to her dream, the massive amounts of bodies floating in the River, and the ones that belong to the people she loved was so clear in her mind. The blank cold stare in that man's eyes made gooseflesh appear on her arms, and she gulped the rest of her coffee to warm the chill. "Why did I dream about him?" she wondered, as a scowl appeared on her face.

Mammy called her name a second time, and then came and stood over her, "Miz Scarlett, I is worried about you. You look lak you are far away! What is on yo' mind?"

Scarlett looked back at Mammy, and sighed, "I had a bad dream."

"I knows that!"

"It was really scary, I saw the River and dead people-"

"Lawdy, Miz Scarlett!" Mammy crossed herself and her eyes were wider, "Doan be telling me yo' bad thoughts!"

"You asked me what was wrong, I was really scared."

"You best go an pray, go in Miz Ellen's office, she still got her cross in there."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "I wanted to come home and rest, but these dreams are not helping at all. And Wade wants to go back to school next week."

Mammy looked at her, and pet her hand, "Yo' sho' you can go back to Atlanta?"

"I don't know, Mammy, but this school here isn't going to help Wade. He's reading books, the teacher hasn't heard of that Miss Pitty sent him for Christmas."

Mammy humphed, "Why don't you send him to Aunt Pitty?"

Scarlett's eyes flared, "Oh, yes Mammy, I could do that, and I could stay here with Ella."

Scarlett had dreaded going back to Atlanta, first with the memories of Melly and Bonnie in that big house. The hateful Old Guard, who turned backs and left her standing on the sideline without any comfort, acting as though Scarlett was a fallen woman or social pariah. She refused to go back and see that face the bunch of cackling hens without Rhett. They would stare and talk with her just enough to pry and ask where he had run off. Scarlett's throat constricted just thinking of the niceties she would be expected to make to the old battle axes, after they treated her badly. Had she told them what she thought, it would only dig her ditch deeper, and she would be totally socially ruined, and what good would that do for her family, and children. Sure, Wade wanted to study up north in a few years, and Aunt Pauline had enough friends in Charleston, that Ella could be presented to any society there, but if they ever stepped foot in Atlanta, they would be known as "Scarlett's children", the beautiful woman who buried two husbands, and lost one to her own devious actions. Scarlett sighed, she had to behave, and being away at Tara was a easy way, not to get in trouble in the city.

Scarlett followed Mammy into the house, and without thinking of the night before rushed into Ellen's office, and began writing the necessary letters to Pitty. Aunt Pitty would be thrilled to see Wade again, her dear nephew's only son. Her own grief filled three and four pages of letters, she mailed to Tara, weekly, told of her loneliness now that her niece and nephew were gone, but how knowing they each had a child to live on, gave her some comfort. Having company to entertain in her house would delight the old woman, and Wade could keep Beau occupied and distracted from Aunt Pitty's emotional outburst, and give Ashley time to keep his life and the mill together.

Scarlett smiled as she wrote Aunt Pitty, and pulled the shawl around her shoulders tighter as a chill hit her back, and crept up her neck. Wade may give her some grief, but at least he'll be back at school, and it would be one less worry off her mind. As Scarlett sealed the letter, and write the address of the quaint house on Peachtree Street, she sat back, and looked at the door, open wide. It was heavy and solid, and her mind wondered for a split second, "How did it slam?" But as soon as she thought it, she dismissed it, as she called for Prissy to help her dress to mail her letters.


	4. Chapter 4

**Another installment I prepped from the first draft, ENJOY!**

 **Thanks all who reviewed, I enjoy hearing your ideas!**

The late morning light filtered through the lace curtain, and the room was filled with sunlight and chilled air on the first morning of 1874. Prissy curled Scarlett's hair into a tight chignon with dozens of pins and caught it up in a gray net. Scarlett placed her simple green lace bonnet on her head, she had ordered her newest outfit from a catalog, and it had arrived a few days before, a late Christmas gift. As she stood up, Prissy smoothed out her green, silk dress and adjusted Scarlett's bustle to arrange the taupe and gray roses as best she could. Scarlett was checking her ridicule for the second time, when Mammy called from the bottom of the steps.

"Miz Scarlett, your carriage is ready."

Pork had brought the mare around the front, and hooked it on the small trap with a shiny black painted cart and red and yellow wheels. Scarlett had bought it the year before as a gift for Will and Suellen to ride around the county to church or county days, but Will never drove it. The trap was so shiny, and narrow, he feared the five of them would topple it over.

Scarlett came down the stairs and started checking behind the vase, and under the side table, and she absentmindedly asked, "Mammy? Have you seen my gloves?"

"Which ones?"

"The new ones, they are tan, with black threading."

Mammy shook her head, negative.

Exasperated Scarlett called to Prissy who was still upstairs, "Get my black gloves in my vanity, Prissy!"

Mammy eyed Scarlett's dress, "I suppose you out of mourning?"

Scarlett smoothed the clover green velvet dress, trimmed in gray lace, and a paler green silk. "No, it's still mourning with the gray lace and roses. Ella can wear dresses with gray lace-"

"Miss Ella is seven years old! And look at that, a garden on your backside."

"Now, Mammy, It's the first day of the new year! Besides, nobody will see me, I'm going to telegram Aunt Pitty and come right home."

Before Mammy could utter another word, Scarlett slipped out the door, and into the trap, and was headed to Jonesboro. As Scarlett got to the end of the driveway, dark, large man on a tan horse approached her on the road, followed by the two hulking dogs. Scarlett froze in the trap, and pulled inside the fence to allow him to pass, instead he trotted up to the side of her trap.

The imposing man nodded his head, allowing the morning sun to catch the flecks of gold light in his dark eyes, his mouth was a full straight line, as he cleared his throat. Scarlett fooled with her skirt quietly avoiding his eyes in fear of the black evil eyes from her dream.

His voice was heavy, and muddled with the odd Welsh brogue.

"Mrs. Butler, I apologize for disturbing you, but Mrs. Tarleton pointed me in the direction of your estate."

Scarlett wanted to giggle, at the use of the word "estate" to describe Tara, but looked him in his dark eyes, and dimpled, "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"I believe that you left your gloves behind at my house."

The man held the tan, slim gloves in his huge hands, and pushed them in Scarlett's direction.

Scarlett smiled, "I've been looking for these all morning, thank you."

Mr. Heathcliff dropped them in her hands. Scarlett immediately placed them in her ridicule.

As Scarlett, looked up and uttered another word of appreciation, Mr. Heathcliff turned his horse, and was gone in a blur of dust with the brutes following him through the field toward the orchard. Seeing him ride through the trees in the yellowing, austere field gave Scarlett a chill. Mr. Heathcliff was such a rude and angry man, but she quickly clicked her horse, hurrying on her way to town. "I can't spend all day, worrying about that man." Scarlett thought.

As she tied her horse to the post outside the post office, Mrs. Tarleton and her youngest daughter, Matilda waved from the general store. Scarlett hurried over hugging the girl just a few years younger than herself.

Mrs. Tarleton grinned at Scarlett, "My neighbor wanted to know where you lived?"

"Yes, Mr. Heathcliff dropped off my gloves; I dropped them when his dogs attacked me."

Mrs. Tarleton frowned, and humphed

Scarlett blew off her insinuation, and stated "I suppose he had to get back to his guest."

"Guest? He lives alone."

Scarlett blushed, "Oh, He said he was having guests over for the New Year."

"Only his dogs," Mrs. Tarleton snorted, "He is quite the unfriendly neighbor. I sent Matilda over with some biscuits, and he refused them, and practically ran her off."

Scarlett shrugged, "He is a foreigner, who knows his customs?"

Mrs. Tarleton shrugged in agreement, bidding Scarlett a good day, Scarlett headed over to the post office to place her telegram.

As she posted her letter to Pitty, and wrote up telegrams to Hugh Elsing about the store and Ashley concerning the school tuition and Mills. As Scarlett finished the last lines of her telegrams, the postman brought her a box with her name on it written in a scrawled, slanted writing making a severe S and B. Scarlett touched her name and whispered, "Rhett."

Her heart clenched and gave out a frantic beat, the box was too heavy to be divorce papers, but it could be delayed gifts for the holiday. Scarlett headed back to her trap, and placed the box next to her on the seat, heading back to Tara through the dried dead trees, and the cooled air portended long weeks of winter in the Georgia countryside. The ground was dry and dead grass lay close to the ground, and Scarlett hoped she wouldn'

As she turned on the driveway to Tara, she saw one of the large dogs nosing around the orchard with a rotten apple, and turned her head not wanting to have the huge beast follow her back to Tara.

As she pulled up to the porch, the three girls greeted her seeing the box in her hands. Wade lingered on the porch, and Suellen stood in the doorway, "Is that a package for me?"

"No, Sue, it's from Rhett."

Suellen turned and waddled back in the house, as Wade joined his mother at her trap, and carried the package into the house.

"Wade, bring that box to my room, I need to talk to you."

Ella trailed behind, and she followed Scarlett upstairs.

Scarlett closed the door and sat on her bed, Ella bounced next to her, and Wade sat at the vanity, "What's wrong, Mother?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Scarlett gave her head a slight shake, "I have some great news. You are going back to Atlanta to start school."

"I know you said that," Wade started," We are going next week, then?"

"Well, I am going to send you ahead. I'm not ready to go back to the city, yet. But, that doesn't mean you can't go back and start school."

Since Rhett's hasty departure, Wade had taken it upon himself to be the unofficial "man" of the family, and his new role had him not as fearful of his mother. Aunt Melly had told him at Bonnie's funeral, "Wade, are a smart and capable young man, and your Uncle Rhett is so despondent, you will need to step up and help your mother." Wade had looked at Melly with large, brown eyes, she understood how sharp and domineering Scarlett could be, and she quelled his fear, "Now, I know your mother has her temper, but that has help her survive all these years, and I know you have some if her strength in you, so you be a gentleman, and talk to your mother, and help her, she needs you."

Wade had thought of this conversation maybe a day after, but since Aunt Melly died, and Uncle Rhett left town, he had pondered it, and took it to heart, even after his mother, had spoke with him on the train to Tara, and told him, "I love you, Wade. I know I don't show it, but I do." Scarlett had turned and told Ella the same thing, and Ella blurted out, "Why are you telling us that, is something bad going to happen?"

Scarlett turned purple, and took a deep breathe, "Because, after all the people I have lost, I still have you and your brother. I promised myself, I would tell the people I love how much I love them, Ella, sit up straight.

Scarlett had never repeated it again, but there had been a shift in their relationship, since then. Ella had been able to approach her mother more often, and Scarlett didn't rush her off as much, and Wade had concerned himself with all there welfares, freely asking and suggesting ideas, and Scarlett was proud of his interests in his family, so she discussed issues, when she could. So, Wade cleared his throat and asked, warily,"What are you going to do with Ella?"

"Ella and I are going to stay on at Tara for a few more weeks, and you can stay with Aunt Pitty and start the next term with Beau. You know Beau and Uncle Ashley are living with Aunt Pitty, now."

Wade nodded, understanding, and relieved his mother hadn't had plans to send Ella away, too. He feared that she would run off and look for Uncle Rhett, as he had heard Mammy warning her, just last week. And she had sighed and agreed with Mammy, he knew against her will.

Ella bounced on the bed oblivious to the conversation, "What did Uncle Rhett send?"

Scarlett shook the box, "It is quite heavy, go ahead and open it, Wade."

Wade ripped the brown paper away, and took out three smaller boxes, each with their names written on it. Scarlett smiled, and took the square deep box with the fancy S on it.

"Wade, open yours first, Scarlett offered, surprised Wade was taking leaving alone, so well.

The thick, brown leather bound book with fancy gold lettering read, _Maps of the World_. Wade awed at the fine Atlas and colorful maps of various countries, cities and oceans of the world.

Ella begged for help to untie her cord that tumbled out a delicate gold chain, with a tiny red stone dangling from it. "Ella, that is a beautiful garnet!" smiled Scarlett as she affixed the chain around Ella's neck. Ella skipped over to the large oval mirror admiring it against her gray pinafore.

Wade watched his mother toy with the cord around her box, and Ella turned in a whirl, "Your turn, mother!"

Scarlett sighed as her heart felt heavy. She untied the cord and gently lifted the top of the cardboard box. The palest, green silk billowed out and cascaded through her hands and into her lap. It was a fine scarf, with tiny lavender flowers embroidered along the edges, trimmed with a navy blue silk cord made in tassels. Scarlett breathed out, "How lovely."

She read the letter aloud to the children, it was mainly about the scarf.

The letter inside explained it was a fine sort of silk that nuns make at a convent in France. Scarlett wrapped the scarf around her neck, and watched her eyes glow in the mirror; Rhett had a wonderful eye for color, especially those greens that suited her. The note was short and direct, wishing everyone health and happy holidays with no indication of malice or love.

Scarlett smiled at her children, "Wade, are you worried about going back without us?"

Wade shuffled his feet as he headed to the door, he turned halfway there, and asked, "You and Ella are coming back in the spring?"

Scarlett nodded, "I think before that."

"Well, I won't mind staying with Aunt Pitty a little while, after all I have to get back to school."

Scarlett patted his shoulder, and could feel the tension, as she dismissed them to get washed for dinner.

Left alone, Scarlett sat on her bed, held the scarf to her nose to breathe in his scent, but the weeks of traveling overseas had diminished Rhett's scent of leather, cigars and whisky. Scarlett folded it back into a neat square, and placed it on her vanity with her gloves. She was starting to feel the fatigue of staying up most of the night, and closed her eyes, enjoying the rest and her eyes enjoying the breezy draft on the back of her neck, as Scarlett turned to see the lace curtain fluttering in the open window, she strained her ears to listen, wanting to hear the voice she heard days ago in the orchard, but it was silence. The silence reminded Scarlett that she was alone, and she shuddered, glancing at the door which was closed tight. She smiled to herself and shook her head, walking across the room to the door and pulled it open. The hallway was quiet, except for the chatter of the children downstairs in the dining room.


	5. Chapter 5

As Scarlett got closer to the dining room, Lil Susie's bossy voice overshadowed Ella's high pitch whine. When Scarlett appeared in the doorway, they quieted their argument. Scarlett and the two girls were the only ones at the dinner table awaiting the others.

Ella looked over at her mother and studied her face, then she asked, "Mother, are feeling better?"

Scarlett looked at her daughter, and sighed, "Yes, I'm better, I was very tired this morning."

Susie looked over at her Aunt and assessed her cold demeanor and pale face, turning to Ella, and shaking her head, negative. Scarlett looked at the two girl suspiciously, then busied herself with folding her napkin. Wade came in followed by Will and took their seats, across from Scarlett and the girls. Suellen came in with Mammy helping to carry the younger children. Once the entire family was sitting down at the dinner table, Will started to say grace, and the children lowered their heads as the prayer began, but Scarlett glanced out the large window. She felt a tugging at her sleeve, and turned to see Susie scowling and showing Scarlett her hands folded in prayer. Scarlett pursed her lips and turned her head away from the annoying child, and then noticed Wade staring at her.

As Pork served the food with Mammy, Wade kept his eyes watching his mother as she chatted and asked SUellen for the news of the county and gossip from Church. Suellen chatted on about how Cathleen's wild son who was about Ella's age had followed the girls around like a puppy. Scarlett sniffed noting that his father was a Yankee, and feeling a pang in her heart that her friend had to succumb to such a marriage and have four children from it. Wade cleared his throat and asked, "MOther, did you tell Aunt Sue about our plans?"

Scarlett looked at Wade, and then at Suellen, her jaw dropped, at the sudden audacity of the shy child to talk up to his Mother, and Scarlett waved her hand, "Well, next week, I'm sending Wade back to his school in Atlanta. But being that I'm just not ready to go, he is going to stay with AUnt Pitty."

Suellen's eyes sharpened, "And you and Ella, where will you be?"

"Here, for at least a few more weeks. Sue, I am just not ready to face Atlanta."

"Yet, you are sending Wade back alone, he's twelve years old."

"He won't be alone, he'll be with Pitty. And Ashley and Beau moved in with her since Melly-. Wade misses Beau and his school. Don't you like the idea, Wade?"

"Well, I-er- I would rather have you and Ella with me."

Will looked over at Suellen, and put his hand up, "Now, Sue, he is Scarlett's boy and it is her decision."

Scarlett glared at Wade, and then at Sue, and popped a large slice of pork roast in her mouth, praying someone would change the subject. Will came to the rescue, and said, "Those dogs were in the orchard again."

Scarlett looked up at WIll and nodded, "I know, I saw them when I went to town. They belong to the Tarleton's new neighbor."

"Is that so?" Will looked at Sue, "Where?"

"The Old Sutton place," Scarlett answered.

"It's burned to the ground, who would buy that place?" Suellen snorted.

"It's a lot of land," Scarlett answered sipping her wine, "And the overseer's house is still livable."

Will nodded, "Yeah, that Sutton Place has a nice pond on it, and those back woods are good for hunting, as long as they don't clear it."

Scarlett added, "It's a gentleman from Wales living there, he talks like Pa."

Suellen looked at Will, "Did you see him?"

Scarlett nodded, "Yes, only for a minute by the orchard he was walking the dogs."

Ella piped up, "Dogs? There is more than one?"

Wade nodded, "I saw two."

Scarlett sighed, "Yes, there are two, and they are very protective. I rode by the Tarleton house, and they spooked my horse."

Will ate the last of his food, and rested back, "What's this man's name? We should welcome him."

"Mr. Heathcliff," Scarlett answered.

Suellen raised her eyebrow at Scarlett, "Is that so?"

Scarlett glared at her and turned her head. Susie followed her mother's glance and stared at Scarlett. Scarlett looked back at the irritating child, and winced under her stare.

"Will, it seems Scarlett already welcomed him." Suellen piped up.

"Now, Sue, don't start anything, remember your condition." Will warned.

Scarlett didn't answer, but stood and pushed her chair in, saying, "Well, I am the head of Tara, so it would be fitting for me to welcome our new neighbors."

Scarlett wrapped her cloak around her and headed down the hall to the backyard. As she sat on the steps, the overwhelming need to be alone was suddenly comforting. The darkening house frightened her and Ellen's office held a sinister air since the door slamming. The backyard was alive with hens still pecking, the small goat and calf trotted around the pens, and the garden was stocked of winter vegetables, it seemed to be thriving, flourishing and active than the rest of Tara in the winter.

Scarlett concentrated on the hens as they were fighting over the last kernel of corn, and the goat bleated wildly at the ruckus sending the chickens in every direction. The simple comical scene made Scarlett laugh. The echo through the hall caused Wade to look on the porch, noticing his Mother laughing, for what seemed like the first time in his life. Wade approached and stood at the office door feet away, as she giggled to herself, mumbling, "Pa, you would have enjoyed this." Wade's chest filled with emotion and tears wet his eyes, he had never seen his Mother carefree or laughing, and she seemed a different person. It was then the final,thin line of sun that played across the porch darkened into a cloud, and the wind picked up causing Scarlett to gather herself and rush back into the house, and startled seeing Wade standing a few feet away..

"Wade, what are you doing?"

"I was coming out back to tell you, Mammy was looking for you, we are having dessert."

Scarlett sighed, "I'll take my dessert later. I need a nap, that meal was delicious, but it has worn me out."

Wade shuffled back to the dining room, then he turned to Scarlett as she mounted the stairs, and asked, "Mother, are you happy?"

Her face went pale, "Happy? I'm very sad about your sister and Aunt Melly, but I guess I'm happy that we are all well fed, and healthy."

Wade nodded, and added, "I really do want to go back to school with Beau, but I'm going to miss you and Ella."

"I'll miss you too, Wade, but you can come visit on the train, and Ella and me will be back in Atlanta, the time will pass by." Scarlett's faded smile, creased her lips, but didn't touch her eyes.

"Mother, why can't you come back, now?"

"Wade, I know you are aware the people in Atlanta don't like me."

"Mother, I know they talked about you."

"What did they say?"

"Well, Uncle Rhett said they were jealous because we had money and you were successful, and they were poor."

Scarlett snickered and smiled, "He said that? Well, it's true, but now I feel so sad, it is going to make me feel sadder not having any friends in town."

Wade smiled, "I know, Mother. I miss Uncle Rhett, he made everything better."

Scarlett looked into Wade's big eyes, "Why don't you write him, he would want to hear from you."

Wade looked at Scarlett's brave face, as the tears welled in her eyes and asked, "Is he coming back?"

Scarlett answered automatically, turning to wipe her eyes "Yes, he is. Now, I'm tired and need my nap."

Wade left Scarlett on the stairway, alone, as he returned to the dining room, walking hunched back and repeating her excuses to the family.

The house seemed colder to Scarlett, as the wind beat the tree next to the picture window on the landing, and the icy rain pattered on the dry earth in the back fields. As Scarlett reached the top of the staircase, she heard the scratching of the tree, and a chill went down her spine, and she prayed that sleep would come to her undisturbed.

As sleep made her eyes heavy, the image of the dark imposing man burned into her memory, and then the words that Rhett wrote that were not indifferent or loving, just as Mr. Heathcliff was not friendly or mean. They were somehow the same, but Rhett had more charm to him, at least the Rhett she remembered before Bonnie had left them on the summer day.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning that Wade left for Atlanta was threatening wintry rain. Ella's eyes were red and swollen as she hugged her brother goodbye on the porch of Tara, and sniffed as she watched Wade and her Mother hurry to the train station down the long driveway.

Scarlett and Wade sat quietly side by side on the small trap, that seemed to glide over the patches of dried leaves and mud with sleek, red wheels. Wade's stomach was in knots, and he found it hard to speak. Scarlett ticked off the agenda for when Wade met Ashley and Beau at the station. "You can meet Pork at the Peachtree Street house, and be quick about collecting your things for school, he isn't using the heat in the main house, and it will be freezing, then, Aunt Pitty has an afternoon fitting for you and Beau at the tailor shop for your school clothes-" As Scarlett went on, Wade chewed on his inside cheeks to fight back screaming he had never been so far away from his Mother without Aunt Melly.

Scarlett took a breath and looked at him, his round eyes were huge, and his face was a bizarre color between green and yellow. She sighed, and got quiet focusing on the newly dawned sun that was glowing behind the haze rain clouds.

Scarlett found it hard to speak to Wade when he looked as though he would have a fit or vomit, and she shook the memories of the small boy huddled in the wagon, the night the Yankees came, who cried out her name in the dark, and she had treated so harshly.

Finally, she took a breath, and justified her decision, Scarlett thought, "I just couldn't go and parade through Atlanta without Rhett, and I'm not strong enough without Melly to hear the gossip and see the evil sneers without losing her mind."

Scarlett had wore her black wool suit to town, and she felt she would be mourning her son as he left for Atlanta, and even though she promised, Scarlett was not so confident in Rhett's return. It could be very likely, come summer she and Ella would still be at Tara. And now she had to send her child alone to a city, and the promise of her return could be broken, maybe the three of them would leave in the summer and never see Atlanta again. Scarlett felt a pang in her heart, promising Wade so much, she doubted she could deliver. Looking back on the child's birth, Wade had been an unwelcomed intrusion on her girlhood, but it seemed that she could barely remember a time when he wasn't in her life. She was quiet as they turned on to the main road to Jonesboro.

As they were several miles passed Tara's property, Wade broke the silence, "Mother, is there anything you need to tell me?"

Scarlett turned to her son, his eyes were still filled with fear and urgency, but his face was flourished red, as red as an Irishman smarting to fight. They were just far enough from Tara that if she yelled or hit him, nobody would see.

Scarlett asked, in her voice she reserved for bullying men in business, she was incontrol, but her Irish was up, too, "Wade, why are you asking me such a question?"

"Well, I'm not a child anymore like Ella, you can tell me-"

"You are my child, and you are not old enough to discuss adult business."

"Just tell me, are you going to have a baby like Aunt Sue?"

Scarlett stopped the trap, in spite of the threat of rain, and looked at her son's face.

"And just what do you know about Aunt Sue and having a baby?"

Wade's face paled, and then blushed, again as tears streamed from his eyes, he cursed himself for asking such a question, and telling his Mother anything.

"Well, Wade?"

Wade couldn't answer, but burst out in tears, "I'm sorry, it was Susie, she said that you were sick because you were going to have a baby, like Aunt Sue."

Scarlett looked at her innocent of a child, and cursed her "fast" country educated niece.

"What else did Susie say?"

"She said that animals jump around together, and people, too. And then they have a baby, and that's how it happens, and you were sick because you and Uncle Rhett did things like the cats we saw in the barn." By this time, Wade's face was scarlet red from both anger and embarrassment.

Scarlett took a deep breathe, and flatly stated, "No, Wade, Mother is not doing anything like Aunt Sue. I have you and Ella, I don't need a baby. I'm just having a very hard time sleeping, I have bad dreams, like Bonnie, but I don't have anybody to help me."

"You have Mammy."

"Mammy is getting old, and I have to learn to be strong and not be sad anymore."

Wade listened to his mother's calm, even voice, and for the first time he realized, his Mother was smart, and he believed that she knew everything.

"Don't get Susie in trouble."

"Don't worry about Susie," Scarlett smirked as she cracked the reins and took off on the road to the train station.

At the station, there was a bustle of people running around, as they boarded the first train out for Atlanta, and others sleepily exiting the train who had traveled all night. Scarlett noticed the conductor preparing to collect tickets to leave for Atlanta, and began to remind Wade of his manners and minding Aunt Pitty, and she almost heard Ellen giving her instructions that she half heard as a girl, when she visited Charleston, and hoped Wade would not make a nuisance of himself with the Hamiltons. The finally bell whistled calling all passengers to board the train, as Scarlett gave Wade a tight hug and a quick kiss on his cheek, two elderly women smiled and promised Scarlett they would ride with him until he met up with Ashley and Beau. Scarlett was the last person on the platform, waving and watching the train chug on the tracks toward Atlanta.

When the train could no longer be seen, Scarlett sniffed and wiped her nose heading back to the trap, noticing the clouds that had darkened since she started her journey at dawn.

As she cracked her reins Mr. Heathcliff who tipped his hat at her as she passed him waiting with a flat bed rig.

"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Butler," he said in a flat voice, as Scarlett's buggy slowed next to quai.

"Good Afternoon, are you returning from a trip?" Scarlett smiled, trying to get a smile from him.

"No, I'm picking up some cargo." Mr. Heathcliff turned away and watched the workmen load the long wooden box on to the rig.

Scarlett watched as the long box was carried by five men, and hoisted on his rig, and tied.

"I'm seeing my son off to school," Scarlett said, watching Mr. Heathcliff's profile which was unmovable as he watched the cargo with great interest..

"Mrs. Butler, I am attending to business," he stated, "I would like it much better, if you would just get on your way."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Get on with you, I really don't care about why you are here today."

Scarlett turned her head before she could pale or flush and snapping the reins hard as she could took off splashing through the deep puddles on the red clay road.

Scarlett had gotten a mile down the road, when the wheel dipped into a hole, and the trap tipped, in one second Scarlett slid out of the side of the seat. She grasped on to the tufted leather cushion onto the back of the seat, but her kid gloved hands smoothed over the leather and she felt a thud through her stomach that knocked the wind out of her as she landed backside down into the rusty, mud rain puddle. She sat there stunned not realizing the salty tears streamed her face, and with a force of cold breeze, the skies opened and rain splattered her face, and mixed with the salty tears, as Scarlett sobbed louder as she looked around at the stuck buggy and the emotions kept in such check these last months surfaced to her heart. Desolation was replaced with anger as she kicked the red wheel with her rusty clay caked boot.

"God damn you!" Scarlett yelled, as the horse whinnied. The vibration of heavy horse hooves and the creaking of a trap shook Scarlett from her sobbing, as the imposing, dark, hateful man approached her on the road. Scarlett tried to scramble up, but slipped further into the thick red clay unable to get a hold on anything to hoist her up and ruining her gloves. The man walked through the rain with thick black boots caked in mud almost eye level with Scarlett splayed in the rain and mud. His tanned hand reached down through the sheets of rain, offering Scarlett help.

"May I be of service, Mrs. Butler?"

Scarlett scowled at him, "Leave me be, and get on with you!"

The man chuckled, "I say, you are in no position to turn down help, ma'am."

Suddenly his strong hands curled around her pale wrists and yanked her to her feet in the rain, the thick wet clay oozed down her back and legs, and as Scarlett twisted her wrists in his hands, she pulled away, losing her footing and fell back into the puddle, feeling the cold mud creep into her ears.

"Damnit, you fool woman!" He yelled over the rain, and scooped her up in his arms, and sat her in the front of his carriage, "Stay there, and stop all your putting on airs!"

Scarlett set her jaw, and stared at him with cold eyes, "I didn't need your help!"

"Close your mouth, what you going to do sit here and cry all day!"

"You are hateful, Mr. Heathcliff."

He ignored her shouting over the rain that came down in sheets now, and unhooked her mare from the trap, and tied it to the back of his rig. As he sat next to her on the rig, Scarlett scooted over, and nearly fell off again.

"My trap, you are leaving it?" she muffled out.

"That's not a trap, its a pretty child's toy. It isn't meant for these clay roads, it's destroyed,."

"No, it's not. I want it-"

Mr. Heathcliff ignored her pleas and hurried the rig in the heavy, cold rain toward the main road, back towards Tara. Scarlett tried to control her tears, but all the anxiety and anger of the last year built up as she realized, she was not in control of her trap and this man had pulled her and forced her in his rig, and he was choosing her fate, and she wanted to get out. Scarlett's sobs grew louder and louder, as she covered her face in pain and humiliation and cried.

Mr. Heathcliff pulled up at the porch of Tara, and carried Scarlett in his arms, to the front door and kicked it with his foot. Pork and Mammy appeared, "Gawd, what's wrong with Miz Scarlett?"

"Mrs. Butler had a slight accident in the rain, but she is carrying on about it."

Mammy led the brutish man into the house, as Scarlett twisted in his arms to get down.

He let her fall to her feet in a tumble, and caught her arm to right her.

"You, vile heathen, let me be, and bring my horse to the stable!"

Mr. Heathcliff watched Mammy's broad face narrow in a scowl, "Now, Miz Scarlett, why you acting like po' white trash. This man doan help you!"

"Get him, out of my house! Pork, go get my mare."

Pork looked through the window, "Miz Scarlett, it's raining out there."

Scarlett turned furiously on Pork, "I said-"

Scarlett felt a heavy hand on her upper arm, and suddenly she was being dragged out the door to the porch.

"Stop it!" Mr. Heathcliff shook Scarlett.

Tears started to pour from her eyes, as weight of the two thick hands tightened on her arms.

"Leave me go!"

"I'll let you go, but you need to calm down."

"Why do you care?"

"I don't, but you are being a cuss to your servants."

The rain started to cease. Scarlett leaned up against the white bricks and tried to catch her breath the wet clay on her back seeped through the fabric and chilled her back, and tears were renewed, and she whispered, "Go, please, just go."

Mr. Heathcliff came over to her side, his voice was softer and level, and he said, "If you wish, I'll tie the mare to the post under that small covering on the side, then your servant can move her in the stable when the rain ceases."

Scarlett nodded, and heard his boots echo on the veranda, as he leaped down, and coaxed the horse and led her to the lean to, and tied her up. Mammy was in the open door pulling her shawl around her, and puffing, "Miz Scarlett, come in and get in a warm bed."

Scarlett scoffed at Mammy, and turned, "I need a hot bath, Mammy, I'm freezing."

Heathcliff walked to the front of the porch, and cleared his throat, "If I may be of any more service?"

Scarlett met him with piercing green eyes shaded by the gray sky, "No, thank you." Her throat pained her to say it, but he had been very helpful in the situation, even though he was a brute.

Mammy waved as the man mounted his rig, "Thank you, sir."

Heathcliff tipped his hat, and steered his hulking horses back down the road towards the river. Pork appeared with an umbrella, and Scarlett waved her hand, "Not now, Pork, she'll be fine there for a while now."

Upstairs, with her ruined clothes in a heap, and the steaming bath water surrounding her aching bottom and shoulders, Scarlett sunk into the hot water, and breathed, for the first time in months it seemed, and tried to shake off the tension that tugged at her shoulders, and she washed the red Georgia clay out of her ears and hair.


	7. Chapter 7

ROP7

The warm water soothed her red, swollen eyes, now that her tantrum was over and she lay under blankets and a warm brick tickled her chilled feet. Everything just flooded back to her Bonnie, Melanie and Rhett. While she sat in the muck, wet and cold, she realized how alone she was, and suddenly regretted sending Wade away. Her world felt smaller and smaller and she felt utterly abandoned.

Humiliation set in, and she felt herself blush to her hairline as Will opened the bedroom door poking his head in, " Scarlett, what is going here?"

Scarlett sighed, "My trap got stuck in the mud, I think I broke the wheel. Mr. Heathcliff helped me home, and I am worried about my trap."

"Scarlett, I'll go and get the trap with Pork when the rain lets up."

Will and Pork set out for the stables, as they saw the dark haired man, riding his horse down the road to Tara's porch, Pork shook his head, "That's him, Mr. Will."

Will waved him over and his horse came to a jolting gallop next to Will.

"Mr Heathcliff?"

The dark man put his strong hand out to shake it, "How do you do, Mr. Butler."

Will chuckled, "I'm sorry, but I am not Mr. Butler. I'm Will Benteen, Mrs. Butler's brother in law."

Mr. Heathcliff nodded, "Excuse me, Mr. Benteen."

"Call me Will. Thank you, Scarlett could have been frozen to death out there. I'm glad she's not hurt."

Heathcliff chuckled, "Only her pride."

Will nodded, "I know Scarlett is something else, but she has had quite a difficult year, and when you have that much lost, the simplest problem seems huge."

Mr. Heathcliff nodded, "I can understand, but in my opinion, she was quite harsh with your servants."

Will nodded and smiled, "Don't worry about them, they are used to her rants."

Heathcliff nodded, "I understand that, too. That trap is a mere toy compared to the rough roads in this county. It would be best to sell it to someone in the city."

Will nodded, "Yes, but you saw how stubborn she is, Scarlett thought it would be a wonderful extra wagon, when she needs to ride around the county."

Mr. Heathcliff looked around and chuckled again, "Vanity, I guess. I returned to see if you or your servants need help with retrieving the "buggy"?"

Will nodded, "No, I figure we'll chop it up for firewood, now, but thank you for helping my sister in law, and I'm sorry if she was rude."

"It's not for you to apologize for her behavior, Will, good afternoon."

The days were cold, and wet with start and stop rain showers that turned to icy roads in the coming days of January. The house was tense and noisy with the four girls getting bored of playing in the nursery and games usually ended in fighting. Scarlett kept to her room, and kept an eye on Susie and Ella's behavior after what Wade had mentioned about Susie and her suspicions of Scarlett, as well as her knowledge of marital relations.

Mammy had noticed Scarlett's interests in Ella, and figured it was her guilt that she was the only one of her children still with her. But, Scarlett confided in Mammy, not wanting to upset Suellen, now that she was a few weeks away from having her fourth baby, hopefully a boy.

Scarlett was in the kitchen sipping her coffee while Mammy prepared the vegetable soup, when she brought up the conversation.

"Mammy, Wade told me something very upsetting before he left."

"What's that, my lamb?"

Scarlett lowered her voice, "He said that Susie told him about babies."

Mammy put down her knife and walked over closer to Scarlett, "What did she say?"

"Well, she told him that I was sick because I was going to have one, and they had seen cats in the barn, and she said married people do the same dance."

Mammy wanted to laugh, but she shook her head, "I tells you, I don kno' where that child gets all that from, but I guess she figure all ladies have babies."

"Well, I don't want her telling Ella things like that. My goodness, Susie is younger than Ella."

Mammy shook her head, "Well, her Pa can't talk to her, and Miss Suellen, I think she gonna have that baby sooner than later. You could tell her something about it?"

"No, she's Suellen and Will's child, they need to handle it, but I will talk to Ella."

Mammy nodded her head, and continued to prepare the soup.

Scarlett went to the parlor where Ella and Susie were sketching Ellen's lion clawed chairs with the cat sleeping in it. Susie's two younger sisters were rolling a ball back and forth on the oriental rug. The scene clenched Scarlett's heart, Rhett and her could have had a parlor filled with children like this, but it was her foolish devotion to Ashley that had prevented it.

"Ella, come upstairs with Mother."

Ella looked over at Susie and then her mother with wide eyes. Susie smirked as Ella put down her pad and pencil and followed her mother upstairs.

As they started up the stairs, Ella asked, "Are you going to show me the needlepoint, again?"

"I can if you would like."

Ella nodded, and ran up ahead of Scarlett to her bedroom.

Ella took her seat at Scarlett's vanity and started to smell the bottles of perfume. Scarlett sat on the edge of her bed, and watched Ella place one bottle down at a time in the correct places. Ella started to ramble about the different flowers each smelled like, and Scarlett allowed her to ramble until she took a breath.

Scarlett started directly, "Ella, has Susie been telling you things about me?"

Ella's hazel eyes grew large, and her rambling high pitched voice quieted, and Scarlett knew.

"Wade told me, honey."

"Mother, are you?" Ella's face was glowing in a beautiful smile, that made her face look less monkey like, she had Scarlett's smile that made her father's ugly features dwarf.

"No, Ella, I am not. And I don't want you to listen to Susie anymore. We are going home in a few weeks, and you can tell Susie for me, if she keeps talking like that I will have to tell her Pa."

Ella nodded, and her eyes cast down to her lap, where she played with her hands. Ella would never remembered her father, but her behavior was so much like his, any mention of assertiveness, caused her nerves. Scarlett looked at her irritated, and changed the subject, her first inclination was to yell at her to stop, but she didn't.

"Ella, would you like to help with the needlepoint, you can do the slant stitches on the hat for your Aunt's new baby."

Ella nodded as Scarlett dug through her basket and handed Ella the white bonnet, and the yellow thread, and sat next to her on the vanity bench watching her gently threading the needle. Ella's was a scatterbrain, but when she was given a task with her hands, Ella's concentration was determined to create something special. Once Ella was well into the needlepoint, Scarlett left her, and looked out the window at the sky, scattered with gray clouds, with a sliver of sunlight peeking through that would most likely melt the icy puddles on the roads, and Scarlett could go for a ride as early as tomorrow. It was a glimpse of red and black driving down the road that caught her eye. Scarlett had no idea that Will was bringing her trap back from the repair shop today. It was by sheer determination, and a huge check that Scarlett had demanded Will bring the buggy to get fixed, the repairs were a fraction of what the trap was worth.

Will had went to town to get the mail and telegrams from the post office, and she was waiting for news from Wade.

Scarlett left Ella and hurried down the stairs to meet the trap. Will was not in the trap,but Mr. Heathcliff was. Scarlett stopped on the edge of the porch, and stood speechless. Finally she folded her arms and blurted out, "Where's Will?"

"He's still in town, I offered to bring your toy home." Mr. Heathcliff smirked, and Scarlett knew he was making fun of her.

"Thank you, Mr. Heathcliff. You can put it in the stable, I'll have Pork unhitch your horse."

"Please, call me Heathcliff. I see Americans are not so formal, Mrs. Butler."

Scarlett nodded, but did not offer him to call her anything else except Mrs. Butler.

Pork called his nephew Joe who brought the trap around to the stables. Mr. Heathcliff came onto the porch and sat on a chair, while he waited for his horse. Scarlett took the chair across from her guest, and sighed.

"Well, I am glad I got my trap back, it is fairly new."

"They had to replace the wheel that was stuck and cracked, and fix the axle. Those wheels are very delicate, not meant for this muck. You better store it, it's more for city driving."

"I know, you said that." Scarlett waved off, not wanting to hear anymore about her poor choice.

Heathcliff looked at her face, and took in her gray calico dress, and asked, "Will mentioned you had a death in your family?"

Scarlett looked at him with slanted eyes, feeling the tears surface, "Several."

"I'm sorry for your lost, I've had a few myself."

Scarlett turned and looked at the man who's strong jaw and dark eyes suddenly softened, "It's been very difficult."

"I gather one of them was your husband?"

Scarlett's eyes had mirth in them, and smirked, "No, not him."

Heathcliff studied her face, and could see their was mixed feelings where her husband was concerned, "Oh, I see."

"No, Heathcliff, I didn't lose him to death, but through bitterness." Scarlett bit her lip, she couldn't believe how candid she was with this stranger, "I lost my daughter last summer and my best friend and sister in law this past autumn, as well as her baby."

She heard Heathcliff take in a deep breath, "Again, I'm sorry, no wonder you were so frantic the other day."

Scarlett blushed thinking of the tantrum she had displayed, and she said nothing as Joe brought the tan horse around the porch, but Heathcliff did not rise to leave. Scarlett began to feel the chill and folded her arms to conserve her body heat. Heathcliff shrugged off his jacket and offered it to Scarlett, and she shook her head.

"Take it, that cotton dress is going to cause you pneumonia out here."

Scarlett sheepishly took it, his irritated voice reminded her of her own, and she draped it over her shoulders, the wool smelled like earth and whisky. He had been outside a while, and drinking quite early in the day.

Heathcliff crossed his legs, "I have lost a dear friend some years ago, and it still hurts my heart."

Scarlett listened, and wondered if Melly's death would hurt her, too years from now. Scarlett sighed, "I'm sorry to hear that, but I wonder, too if I will feel this way years from now?"

"Did you love her?"

Scarlett's throat felt tight, "She was like a dear sister, and she was always there to protect me. I didn't realize how good she was to me until she was dead."

Heathcliff chuckled, "The woman that I loved, treated me terrible, but I loved her, and I guess I still do. I'm a fool in love, I guess you would not understand that?"

Scarlett had to know, "Was she your wife?"

Heathcliff's face went pale, "No, she would never had married me, she was too high bred for me."

Scarlett's face was confused, and her heart ache thinking back to Ashley and herself, "I was a fool, too."

"A fool? I don't think anybody would attempt to make a fool out of you, is it your husband attempted that?"

Scarlett shook her head, "No, he left me because I was a fool."

Heathcliff nodded, "I don't wish to pry, so please, tell me no more."

Scarlett shrugged off his jacket and handed it to him as he stood.

"We were merely discussing our trials, Mr. Heathcliff, I didn't take that you were prying."

Heathcliff smiled, "I'm glad, Mrs. Butler. I enjoyed our discussion, perhaps we can talk again."

Scarlett felt his dark eyes on her, so much like Rhett, and held out her hand, "Perhaps, the Benteen's will invite you to dinner one night, Will had wanted to welcome you to the county."

Heathcliff nodded, "I would enjoy that, until dinner, Mrs. Butler, take care."

Scarlett felt his rough hand in hers, and smiled.

Mammy opened the door with Scarlett's cloak, perhaps she had been listening. Scarlett lifted her hands, indicating she didn't need it, as she slipped in and the warm air from the house surrounded her. She found Ella still in her room, redoing the last few stitches on the bonnet that she had lost concentration. Scarlett inspected the bonnet and was impressed. The bonnet and bib would be a nice addition to the baby's layette. Suellen was in the doorway, and looking at Scarlett and Ella, "Scarlett, can I speak with you in the hallway."

Scarlett closed the door, "Yes, Sue?"

"I may be in bed, but Mammy keeps me informed about what goes on here."

"Yes?" Scarlett looked at Suellen's narrowed eyes, and wondered what she was ready to fight about.

"I saw that man from my window, who is he?"

"Mr. Heathcliff, Will asked him to bring my trap back from town."

"Did you have to sit and talk with him on the porch like he was your beau?"

"Suellen, calm yourself, it wasn't like that."

"Scarlett, I don't know what is going on with Rhett and you, but don't start courting beau like you are the belle of the county, again."

Scarlett opened her bedroom door, "I am doing no such thing, I can't help it, if someone comes by and talks to me."

Scarlett closed the bedroom door in her sister's face.


End file.
